We'll Always Have Jeju

I am so happy I spent my summer holiday on Jeju Island in Korea. The slogan on all the signs is "We love having you here". The population of the main city is about 250000, and the total island is about half a million. All year I had been toying with many plans, mostly to leave the country to venture to South East Asia, but I ultimately decided that I want to savour and enjoy all of Korea while I'm here. As much as I love it, I cannot see myself taking a holiday in Korea. My reason for return would be to work. (And if I do, I totally want to live on Jeju Island!)

I arrived on Tuesday evening, to a beautiful red sky. It was nice to escape the never-ending downpour in Gyeonggi-do (the province I live in). The hostel directions were bang-on: I made my way on the local bus from the airport to Jeju city, and on to the next bus from there. Destination: Geumneung-li, on the northwest part of the island. The hostel staff were awesome. I dropped my bags and headed to the hostel bar for a drink. Then an early night to bed...ahh. I slept so well!

I started my Wednesday morning with a jog to check out my surroundings. Because it was grey, my plans for a beach day were nixed. It worked out nicely though; a guy at the hostel was looking for company to the Mangjanggul cave, a kilometer-long portion of the World Natural Heritage site that is open to the public. There is an extensive lava tube system on the island. In fact, the entire island was created by a volcanic eruption. The cave is located on the northeast side of the island.

The "turtle"...or a model of the island; lava formation

Lava column - this is when lava pours from the ceiling and congeals. At 7.6 meters, this is the largest one known.

After the caves, we checked out a maze before heading back to Jeju city (this is the connecting point for most buses). We were told the maze would take 10-30 minutes. We were SO confident we could do it in ten....30 minutes later, we made it to the victory bell!

30 minutes later, we made it to the victory bell!

Met up with D at the bus terminal, then enjoyed dinner in the city.

Thursday we rented bikes to check out some sites on the island. Single-lane roads, minimal traffic, secluded areas, perfect conditions. We covered about 25km at a comfortable pace in the heat. First stop, the O'Sulloc Tea Museum and green tea fields. We got to sample a green tea that they roast right on location. Fantastic.

Green tea treats: yogurt and green tea ice cream, green tea latte with red bean, and cookies.

Our next stop was the Glass Castle Museum. We had no idea what to expect.

Mirror maze

Glass town

Garden party

Orange tree

Heart

We were very pleasantly surprised, to say the least! Glass everywhere, different techniques, from all over the world.

Our third stop appears to be along the side of the road...and it was! There was a little restaurant on one side, with a makeshift platform for outdoor dining across the street! So quiet and peaceful. Delicious too!

Stretching out...

En route

Our final stop was to a modern art gallery and artists' village. Unfortunately only one of the modern art exhibits was open, so the lady let us in for free. It was an amazing collection though, so we weren't left too disappointed.

Outdoor art installations

Thursday evening we ventured to the infamous Jeju Loveland. Think penis park...but so much more. Consider this your warning.

Romantic smooch

Friday we opted for a relaxing beach day...Geumneung Best Beach. The water was SO inviting. The tide really changes throughout the day. We wanted to swim to the little island, but there were buoy-lines and patrols preventing it. At one point, it seemed we could have walked half-way there! There were so many sandbars, such that people were able to picnic out in the water and build sandcastles! We were going to rent an umbrella, but a Korean guy was kind enough to share the one he rented with us. He asked us if we were on our honeymoon. Haha

Is this paradise or is this paradise?

Stunning

Friday evening, Magda arrived and we had a girls' night, sitting by the beach with a glass of wine. On Saturday, she and I conquered Hallasan - the highest point in all of South Korea. 9.6km trail, 1950 meters up (we hiked about a 1200-meter vertical), nature and fresh air.

We made the checkpoint in 2 hours and 5 minutes! You're expected to take three hours.

Almost at the top...

Success! Total ascent time: 3 hours and 3 minutes. (4.5 hours is expected). Total descent time: 3 hours and 8 minutes. We are champs.

Sunday we checked out and headed back to Jeju city: D with a flight to catch, and me and Magda a full day ahead.

I couldn't NOT go to Loveland with Magda....!

Mandarin sorbet stop

The park is actually quite pretty and tastefully done, especially from a distance.

Happy ending: Indian dinner on a beautiful outdoor patio. High on life, love, nature, everything.

It really was a wonderful holiday - so many laughs, amazing memories created, stunning location, and the best company. I feel so lucky. What a way to go and end my time here. Only three more weekends left!!!

Kid at Heart

Trevi Fountain at Lotte World

Lotte World - the indoor section, view from the balloon ride

I made it back from my summer holiday - still feeling high on the wonderful sites, company, and memories made. After a lovely summer Saturday - outdoor patios, dinner out, lots of laughs - we headed to Lotte World on Sunday, for a day of amusements and thrills. Lotte World is a theme park - think Canada's Wonderland meets Disney. We entered the indoor section, and were blown away by all that we could see. The more we wandered around and rode rides, the more and more we discovered. I was thoroughly impressed with their space usage....There was a "Pirates of the Caribbean"-esque ride on rafts, but it had an Egyptian theme. Very cool. We decided to see what was outside. My understanding was that there was a carousel...HOLY SMOKES! The outside section was even better! Here's where all the GOOD rides are - big roller coasters and drop zone-style rides. We went on the Gyro Drop about 6 or 7 times because the line-up was non-existent. What a rush! There was a really great roller coaster that we got on three times throughout the day as well...through the mountain, over the water, all around. Excellent.

Outside at the castle

I think the scariest part for me was the haunted house. I get so jumpy. We actually had to walk ourselves through, and touch things to open doors. Thank goodness D led the way. He was my big strong protector. Haha So many laughs. Awesome day.

A few days before holiday, I told Pluto class that I called the police on them. A couple of the boys kept lifting up their shirts. I was so serious and told them it wasn't allowed and so the police were going to come and talk to the class about rules. The boys insisted that I call back and ask them not to come, and that they were really sorry. I told them to say sorry to the police. They finally convinced me to call them back, so I did. I returned with the message that if they lifted their shirts again, I would just call the police again and they'd arrive in five minutes.

I love being a teacher.

Today, Pluto class kept singing "Can't Take my Eyes off of You". It made me smile, a lot. In fact, I've been really good this week. I've gotten so much love from my students, after being away. I'm getting greeted with warm and welcoming hugs every day this week, and it's just what I need. Maybe kids know. They're smart. Today I whispered to Julian, "I love you!". His reply was, "Leah teacher! Me too. I love you!" He has actually memorized my afternoon schedule and shows up in the teacher room on all my breaks (he's supposed to be in the afternoon kindergarten program) - to play or to talk or to help me with my work. I always have a million things to do and can't have him there with me, but I secretly love that he comes to see me all the time. My Julian. My TERROR child when I arrived just under a year ago.

Jeju post to come!

Mr. Golden Sun

Harry Potter enthusiasts

We had a class field trip today to a local outdoor swimming pool. The weather was PERFECT and I may have had more fun than the kiddies, splish-splashing around. Sunny, one of my 6-year-old Venus girls, was very timid in the water, and always wanted me holding her hand or holding her in her inner tube. It feels so amazing to have a child put that much trust in you, to make them feel safe. Anyways, I got her laughing and she relaxed. When I took her for a washroom break, we were walking hand-in-hand, and she says to me, "Leah Teacher, swimming is fun!" These are the heart-warming moments.

All the kids looked adorable in their swimwear and mandatory bathing caps (yes, I had to wear one too). We had a yummy picnic after the swim, then back to school for the afternoon. I wish we could go swimming every week!

I returned from Mudfest a very red teacher. I told my students they could call me "Tomato" teacher if they wanted. Instead, they came up with some other ideas: Cherry Teacher, Apple, Strawberry, Fire, Watermelon, even Flower Rose Teacher (awww). The red has since gone down, as I've properly aloe-ed and after-sun cream-ed myself.

I blame the sunscreen. The brand was unfamiliar to me. I was very sun-conscious over the weekend. I applied, reapplied, stayed in the shade...and I was wearing SPF 40! Lesson learned: only use brands I know and trust!

Saturday morning started out very wet, and it wasn't looking good. Arrived in Boryeong/Daecheon Beach (Mudfest location) around 11am. The skies were threatening. We headed to the beach anyways. Went swimming - the water was SO refreshing! - then down came the rain. We danced in the rain, embracing it. It was a warm summer rain, after all. The wind was really strong though. We ended up taking shelter under a temporary wooden stall that was set up. It did the trick.

Threatening skies

Hiding out

When the rain let up a little, we figured it would be a good time to go check into our accommodations (7-person room, fun!). No kidding, ten minutes later when we came back outside, the skies were blue and the sun was shining. It looked like a completely different day and place. HOORAY!

Back to the beach we went, and then we headed to the mud festivities. There were wrestling pits and inflatable challenges and slides galore.

There was a prison you could stand in and people would just throw buckets full of mud at you as you stood behind bars. We did this one inflatable challenge where you were strapped by the waist at either end, and you had to race to the middle to be the first to ring the bell. I was laughing so hard. During the first round, I completely wiped out as soon as I took my first couple steps. Because you are tethered, you flail and bounce around. Being covered in mud makes it all the more slippery and hilarious. The wresting was fun too! SO MUCH MUD! There were stations with paintbrushes too, where you can just paint yourself silly. The mud was quite liquidy, but it's this special made that they make for the event, and it is supposed to be excellent for your skin.

The events close up around six in the evening, so we missed the chance to use the cleaning pool. Back to the beach we went! (The events were set up just up from where the beach starts). It's WILD how much the tide moves in one day. There is virtually no space later on in the day, making the beach significantly more crowded.

High tide (Saturday late afternoon)

Low tide (Sunday morning)

Day 2 in the mud

Saturday evening we chatted with people, mingled, had dinner, and enjoyed the outdoors. Sunday was another beach day and getting in another coat of mud. Definitely a unique experience!!

Random side note - on Monday morning, one of my Pluto boys, Buddy, wanted me to feel his calves. "Leah Teacher, I was jumping rope all weekend!"

It's nice having the sun back so I can run outside again! Got quite soaked last weekend when I thought I could beat the rain. It was a welcome change from the stairs though!

When I Grow Up, I'm Going to Be a Magician

Monday morning science class with Venus...I sneakily place a red plastic ball in a pencil case at the front of the room. We carry out our normal morning routine, and then I introduce the science lesson: a magic jar. I show them that there is a red ball inside the jar. Then, I dramatically cast a spell over the jar, saying the magic words, to make the ball disappear. I animatedly react shocked beyond belief that the ball is gone when I lift the lid of the ball. I search high and low for it, to discover it in the pencil case. My kids go absolutely NUTS over this, laughing in total wonder. Wow, Leah teacher is magic.

They wanted to see the trick again, but a magician can only perform their trick once. When I taught them how it worked (as they each got their own), they had lots of fun hiding their red balls around the room, to reveal to their audience where the ball had disappeared to. Good fun.

Last Friday we made patbingsoo, as I mentioned. It's a popular dessert - shaved ice with red bean. The kids brought in fruit, cereal, chocolate, rice cakes, and jellies to sprinkle on and make it their own. We had some fun with the camera, too. Julian, who used to be so camera-shy, wanted a Leah-Julian photo shoot! I have many more, but chose just a couple to post.

Silly time with Julian

Chef Matthew

Chef Scarlet

Pardon me if I have mentioned this before, but my Venus class has gotten into a bit of a morning ritual with me. The students like to take the board markers (with the lids STILL ON), and the board eraser, and pretend to do me up - brushing my hair, applying make-up - fussing over me and giving me the star treatment. It's quite cute, really. I feel so loved.

Despite the rain, I had a wonderful weekend in Samcheok. We caught at 9 bus on Saturday morning and arrived around 1:30 in the afternoon. First stop: Haesingdae park, aka the penis park. There is a story behind all the phalli. There was a Korean bride-to-be that was brought out to sea by her husband-to-be. He told her to wait there for him, and he would return soon. She drowned waiting for him, and her bitter heart significantly decreased the catch of the fishing village. To remedy this, the people of the village carved and erected wooden penises, pointing them seaward. Once again, the fish were in abundance. The penises eased the bitter heart of the poor bride-to-be.

The obvious silly photos...

The park was in a really beautiful location, as you can see!

Magda and me

Grey day, checking out the beach

Curious abandoned house

I can never resist testing the waters

On day 2 we checked out the Hwanseon caves. There were very few buses heading out this way, so we had to get our timing just right. As we were eating lunch in town, I joked that it would be funny if we missed the bus for not watching the time. We check the time...the bus is leaving in five minutes. Time to sprint across town!! We arrive in time, sweaty from the muggy weather, collapsing into our seats.

We take the monorail up to the caves, as we have to complete the course in a record 90 minutes, in order to catch the local bus back to the bus station, to get to the bus leaving for Seoul, early enough that we don't miss the metro. Consensus told us we would need two hours. Anyways, we get to the cave entrance, 1.6km of path. No problem! We're laughing. We don't have to rush through, but we also can't go too slowly. We emerge from the (AMAZING) caves. It's 4:15. The bus is at 4:30. The path down is almost 2km. It's raining. We run. We run the whole way down. Once it wasn't so steep and the ground leveled a bit, I was on such a runner's high. It felt really good. I could have kept running for a long time. We made the bus with time to spare (though it left earlier than the timetable said, so every minute counted)! We had a good laugh.

(It's now Wednesday morning as I complete this blog)...HARRY POTTER TONIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Blue Sky Interlude

I'm happy to announce the rain let up for a few days earlier this week, during this monsoon season. The weekend was rainy though. Karen and I met at the gym again last Saturday morning, followed by lunch. I spent the rest of the day doing some errands and relaxing a bit. I FINALLY made it to a Dr. Fish cafe on the weekend, too! Everything about the cafe is normal at first glance - order your drink, sip and enjoy in the cozy atmosphere, browse the bookshelf...and if you so choose, pay an extra $2 to put your feet in with the fishies for 20 minutes! Boy does it ever tickle!! They go nuts, eating away at any skin they find delicious. My feet felt quite refreshed after that!

With all of this rain, and my gym membership expiring last Monday, I've had to get creative. Yesterday morning was no trouble getting out to run along the river, but this morning the rain was coming down. I was up and ready to be active though, so I ran up and down the stairs of my building a couple times (ground floor to ten, back to ground, up to ten, back to ground, and up to three, where I live). It was certainly a challenging change! I will definitely keep that up a few times a week! It wouldn't be worth it to renew at the gym, as you must pay for three months. Plus, my calendar is becoming busier and busier. I can just stay fit on my own - running, the stairs, yoga, and the outdoor equipment around the city are sufficient!

Tony Teacher came to visit Choo Choo on Monday to say his goodbyes. He has since left for Canada. It is making me get sadder and sadder about leaving. Every day I look at my kids and try to savour everything. How I would love to bring (some of) them back to Canada with me!

Tony Teacher and Leah Teacher with Venus class (my loves, my favourites...I started with them when they were Mercury!)

Julian (Venus) still amazes me every day. I wouldn't be surprised if I'm inspired to write a children's book based on his actions. He is obsessed with numbers. If he's drawing a picture of milk (this has happened on a couple occasions), he writes "1000 mL" or "190 mL" on his picture, depending on the size it is, of course. When we were reviewing time, I drew a clock on the board that read 7:27. Julian requested that I ask him a "PM" time. He looks at what I've drawn and within five seconds replies "it's 19:27". Let's remember this kid is actually only 5-years old. None of my Pluto kids could do this (my 7-year olds).

He loves prepositions, too. Now that he knows between and across from, he finds delight when he can apply them. "Leah Teacher, Wednesday is BETWEEN Tuesday and Thursday!" In fact, he applies everything he learns. It's amazing. Julian, the kid that no one liked when I arrived last September because he was such a menace. He mimics me perfectly, when he "takes over" the class. "Is everyone ready to start?" "How about _____?" He makes me happy.

I taught Venus class the game 3-6-9. I learned it as a drinking game. It's great for number review. Starting at 1, the kids count one at a time, around the circle. Any number containing 3, 6, or 9, however, the kids have to clap instead of saying the number. When they get to 33, 36, 39, they have to clap twice. They loved it, and we got up to the 70s. Of course, Julian wanted to play again, "but this time 4, 8, 12, 16"....Sorry, Julian, I don't think anyone else can play with you yet.

Excuse my Julian tangent. I could go on about him FOREVER.

Pluto class told me that I can leave Choo Choo and Korea in 2013. That's when they'll be ready for me to go. But not before then.

Here are some pictures from Monday evening after work. We went out for a farewell drink with Tony.

Selina and me

Me, Elly, Shana

Tony and me

We'll see each other again! He'll be in Kingston when I'm in Ottawa...and he's actually from Ottawa. So there.

Tuesday evening Magda and I met up for our weekly tea, walk, chat. We had to plan our upcoming weekend as well. We're going to Samcheok, on the east coast, for a park and beach weekend. Looking forward to it! Fingers crossed the rain won't interfere...!

Last night I packed a box of winter stuff to ship home!

I love this treat. It's red bean and shaved ice...when it's served at cafes, it usually has fruit and yogurt or ice cream with it too. Mmmmm.

Tomorrow at school we're making 팥빙수. I love this treat. It's red bean (surprise!) and shaved ice...when it's served at cafes, it usually has fruit and yogurt or ice cream with it too. Mmmmm. It's pronounced "pat-bing-soo".

Time to enjoy some reading (The Girl Who Played with Fire) on this quiet, rainy evening. Kammy had to cancel our language exchange.

OH! OH! OH! The release date of Harry Potter 7 Part 2 got changed!!! It wasn't supposed to come until DECEMBER in Korea, but it will be here NEXT WEDNESDAY!!! Opening night, here I come!!!

It's almost the weekend...again! xo